One of India's most successful bowlers, Harbhajan Singh, officially announced his retirement from all formats of the game after 23 years in professional cricket. The 41-year-old from Jalandhar turned out in 103 Tests, 236 ODIs and 28 T20s for Team India in his career.
"All good things come to an end and today as I bid adieu to the game that has given me everything in life, I would like to thank everyone who made this 23-year-long journey beautiful and memorable. My heartfelt thank you. Grateful," Harbhajan wrote in a Twitter post on Friday (December 24).
Harbhajan, who made his debut back in 1998, ended up with 417 wickets in Tests and 269 scalps in ODIs. The off-spinners was part of both the 2011 50-over World Cup as well as the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning squads with India.
All good things come to an end and today as I bid adieu to the game that has given me everything in life, I would like to thank everyone who made this 23-year-long journey beautiful and memorable.
My heartfelt thank you Grateful .https://t.co/iD6WHU46MU— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) December 24, 2021
"Whenever I have worn Indian jersey and stepped on the field, there has been no bigger motivation for me. But there are points in life when you have to take some hard decisions. I was planning to make an announcement for the last few years and today I announce my retirement from all forms of the game," Harbhajan said in a video message.
"I had been away from active cricket for some time now. But I couldn't officially announce my retirement due to my commitment to the Kolkata Knight Riders. However, during IPL 2021 I had made up my mind that I will announce my retirement at the end of this season.
"Like all cricketers, I want to big adieu to cricket in an India jersey. But destiny had something else in store for me. Whichever team I have played for, I have given my 100 per cent to make sure my team finished at the top. Whether it was Team India, Punjab Ranji team, Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Surrey or Essex county," the genial off-spinner added.
Harbhajan made his India debut during an ODI against New Zealand at Sharjah in 1998, last played for the country in March, 2016 during a T20I against the UAE at Dhaka.
One of the most memorable moments in his international career was when he snapped 32 wickets in three Tests, including the first Test hat-trick by an Indian, against Australia in March, 2001.
Bhajji ended up with 150 IPL wickets in 163 games in his career for MI, CSK and KKR. In the 2019 season of the IPL, Harbhajan picked up 16 wickets in 11 games under MS Dhoni in Chennai Super Kings.
"The greatest moment of joy in my cricket career was when I picked up a hat-trick at the Eden Gardens against Australia. That achievement gave me the most happiness as I became the first Indian bowler to pick up a hat-trick in Test cricket. Then I picked up 32 wickets in 3 Tests of that series, which is still a record," Harbhajan said.
"After that winning the 2007 and 2011 World Cups were my biggest achievements, which I cannot even express in words," he added.
